West Coast BFF Tour

The West Coast Bff Tour Vancouver Guide

December 10, 2014June 10, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

Paige and I have posted massive amounts about our adventures in California, but by the time we got to Vancouver to celebrate thanksgiving with my family we were so exhausted that we suddenly found it much harder to make time to take photos. I’m from Vancouver originally, so it was such a fun experience to show Paige all of my favourite places around the city, and I figured it only made sense to share those same picks with all of you too. From sweet bakeries to adorable independent boutiques, we’ve got every corner of the city covered!

Rosemary Rocksalt // Named for their most well-known flavour, this Montreal-style bagel shop is perfect for a quick lunch, or if you’re craving a bag of unbelievably fresh bagels to take home (or in our case, on the plane)

Cafe Medina // The best brunch in Vancouver, hands down! Make sure you try the lavender lattes, white chocolate pistachio rose hot cocoa, waffles with salted caramel sauce… okay no, just try everything!

49th Parallell and Lucky’s Donuts // What could be better than hot organic coffee and delicious donuts made fresh on-site? 49th Parallell is one of my favourite Vancouver coffee shops, and their Creme Brûlée donut is seriously life changing.

One of a Few // Located in Gastown, Vancouver’s super cute cobblestone neighbourhood, OOAF is one of my absolute favourite places to buy clothing. The carry brands like Base Range and Rachel Comey, and there’s always an unexpected treasure or two lurking in the racks.

Sweet Bake Shop // On top of having one of the prettiest Instagram accounts like, ever, Sweet Bake Shop offers a series of unbelievable macarons, cupcakes, and the cutest little cake themed housewares you ever did see. It’s tempting not to spend every day snacking in here whenever I visit Vancouver.

Beta 5 // A specialty chocolate shop with all sorts of amazing seasonal specials. Think layered desserts in a jar, mysterious cream puffs, gold flecked chocolate bars and chocolate terrariums complete with chocolate moss and plants!

The Cross // If you love Tocca, Rifle Paper Co., gold, stationary and or/sparkly things, this is the decor shop of your dreams. Filled with magical treasures and furniture fit for a queen, The Cross is a truly a gem.

Earnest Ice Cream // Artisan ice cream with seasonal flavours like “Pumpkin Pie” sold in pretty glass mason jars- need we say more?

I'll Follow You Anywhere

The West Coast BFF Tour LA Guide

December 1, 2014June 10, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

It seems like only yesterday that Paige and I were sifting through hundreds of photos from our trip to the West Coast together, but today we’re finally posting our last round of photos from LA. As the days get colder here in Toronto and the holiday season gets underway, we can’t help but miss the warm sunshine, palm trees and pastel buildings of LA, and we figured it was the perfect time to share a list of some of our favourite places in the city of angels. Some are old picks from Paige’s numerous work trips, and some are spots that we discovered together this autumn, but every single one is absolutely worth seeing next time you’re in town!

Lemonade– Paige and I fell in love with lemonade separately and then gushed over it together when we discovered our mutual obsession. A cafeteria-style haven of healthy snacks, sweet treats, and the best lemonade you’ve ever tasted (we recommend watermelon rosemary), there is nowhere better to lunch in LA.

Ilan Dei– A semi-outdoor housewares shop with all sorts of adorable surprises hiding behind every corner, this Venice Beach store is a must-see if you’re into good design and bright colours. Think succulents and pops of neon.

Gracias Madre– An unbelievably beautiful restaurant with an all-vegan menu. It can be hard to get a seat, especially on the weekend, so we recommend sneaking in for lunch if at all possible to avoid crazy wait times. We also highly recommend you try the alcoholic snow cones with your meal (though we must warn you, they’re stronger than they look!)

The Wildfox Store– When one of our favourite brands opened their flagship in LA, we knew we had to make a point of stopping by. Luxe and lovely, this shop is full of whimsical treasures and a whole lot of super soft pretty t-shirts.

Moon Juice– If you’re looking for something healthy, inventive, and tasty, look no further than Moon Juice. With an incredible seasonal cold pressed juice menu and all sorts of intriguing elixirs and inventions available to take home, it’ll have the health nut in you swooning. Plus, their branding is just so on point!

The Standard Hotel– We stopped into The Standard with the Ban.do girls for lunch and cocktails on the pool deck, and everything about it felt very quintessential LA. Make sure you try the coconut mojito or watermelon margarita (or both!)

Bottega Louie– We’ve already posted so much about BL, but it’s worth mentioning again. No matter who you are or what you like, you just have to go!

Urbanic– Love pretty pens, fancy candles, and all things Rifle Paper Co? Urbanic will make all of your stationary dreams come true, and you might even find yourself lusting over new party supplies or Kate Spade desk accessories that you’ve never seen anywhere else before.

Treats Frozen Yogurt– Not only does this shop have the best frozen yogurt ever, but they also make incredible snow cones in all sorts of magical flavours like violet and rose. If you’re feeling really adventurous (and hungry) try the “California Snow”, a mountain of shave ice with a frozen yogurt center!

Some spots we were hoping to visit but never got a chance to:

The Piñata district and flower market– It’s always fun to explore the hustle and bustle of downtown LA, and we love the idea of getting lost amongst flowers and piñatas for an afternoon!

Sugarfina– The Ban.do girls are big fans of this spot, and their Instagram is so incredible! Rumour has it they stock adorable sparkly champagne marshmallows (insert love eye emogi!)

The Sunny Spot– A Caribbean restaurant with a beautiful patio and an extremely tasty brunch menu.

Sugar Paper– We love Sugar Paper’s cards, and we’ll absolutely be stopping into their store next time we’re in LA!

Dress Up

California Sunsets

November 19, 2014June 22, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

Winter is in full swing, the holiday season is upon us, and Paige and I’s California trip feels like a distant memory, but luckily we took so many pictures on the trip that we still have a few posts left to share before fully committing exclusively to winter weather and holiday posts.

Today’s outfit post takes us back to Venice Beach, one of our favourite neighbourhoods in LA. On our way to shop the adorable independent boutiques along Abbott Kinney blvd we stopped in front of a massive bush covered in pink flowers to take a few outfit snaps featuring some of the pieces we’d picked up on our buying adventures. The sun was setting, the air smelled sweet, and winter parkas were so far from our minds that they seemed like fiction. As the snow falls outside in Toronto today, we can’t help but daydream about bare legs, sandals, and those perfect California sunsets.

I'll Follow You Anywhere

The California Coast

November 17, 2014June 19, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

There were so many magical moments during our trip to the west coast, but I’m not sure anything quite matches the overwhelming natural beauty of our road trip down the coast.

As we sped down the winding roads in our little rental car, we rolled the windows down, turned the music up loud, and just stared in awe. The air was scented with salt water and Redwood tree bark, and at times the waves became so massive that they crashed over the road, and cars had to wait to continue on their journey for fear of being swept away.

It was truly humbling to witness such power, such steep cliffs and roaring surf. There was a certain energy in the air that I can only describe as magic, and every time we pulled over to peer over the steep cliffs or splash in the waves we only became more enchanted. From Monterey, to the delicious Big Sur Bakery, all the way down to our stop at the Madonna Inn, it was truly a road trip that will sparkle in our memories for years to come.

Dear Diary

Pastel Heaven at Bottega Louie

November 5, 2014June 22, 2015 by Alyssa Garrison

I’m not sure where to even start with Bottega Louie. As a lover of all things pink, sweet, and pretty, I practically fell over when I first started seeing photos from people in LA who had visited. My obsession only intensified when Paige brought me back 6 macarons from an LA buying trip and not only were they packaged in the most adorable pastel purple box, but they tasted like heaven, and the earl grey flavour was painted with gold leaf!

My deep love for Bottega Louie hit an all time high when Paige an I finally visited together on our recent LA trip. We met Amina Mucci of Studio Mucci for lunch, and yes, we absolutely stayed for dessert! We filled our table with gourmet pizza, portobello fries and berry lemonade, and when we were finally so full we could’ve burst we moved on to the retail section.

I’m going to be really honest with you guys here: I budgeted $100 for my Bottega Louie visit, and I came pretty close to meeting that cap. I mean come on, everything from the pasta sauce to the coffee to the eclair boxes was so out of this world beautiful! I seriously came *way* to close to buying myself a $200 gift box with a bottle of pink Moet and truffles in it (hem, Christmas is coming!)

In short, Bottega Louie was the pastel heaven I had always dreamed it would be, and even though I’ve shared so many Instagram photos from my visit already, Paige and I just couldn’t help dedicating a special post to it as well!

And yes, in case you’re wondering, everything does taste as good as it looks!